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CONFIDENTIAL/NO FOREIGN DISSEM
Background and Education
Laureano Lopez Rodo was born in 1920 in Barcelona, where his father was
an industrialist. In his teens, he took part in the Spanish Civil War as an
underground agent for the Nationalist cause in his native city, a Republican
stronghold. He received his doctorate in law in 1943 from the University of
Barcelona, and, two years later, at the age of 25, became Spain's youngest
law professor, at the University of Santiago de Compostela.
Impressive and Varied Government Experience
From 1952 through 1956, Lopez Rodo was Director of the Juridical and
Administrative Division of the Superior Council of Scientific Research. His
appointment in December 1956 to the key position of Technical Secretary
General within the Ministry of the Presidency provided him with a base from
which to influence both Franco (the President, or Chief of Government) and
Carrero Blanco, the "Sub-secretary" of this Ministry. Lopez Rodo's career
took a major step forward in 1957 when, as a result of an important
administrative reform, the technical secretaries general of all the ministries
were thenceforth appointed by and responsible to him. Lopez Ródo initiated
other reforms in the following years and, in the process, he became
increasingly influential in the Spanish administrative framework. He was
appointed to the Cortes (parliament) in 1958.
In the wake of the economic stabilization program initiated in 1959 to
ease the economic crisis then confronting Spain, Lopez Rodó devoted most of
his time to economic coordinating and planning. In 1962 he was named
Commissioner of the Economic and Social Development Plan, with the rank of
Undersecretary (still under Carrero Blanco). He was given full cabinet rank
in 1965--"Minister without Portfolio"--but continued to be in charge of the
Development Plan. In addition to his major assignments in the Presidency
he has continued to advise the Superior Council of Scientific Research, to
belong to the National Council of the Movement (Falange), and to preside over
the Board of Trustees of the National School of Public Administration.
In the arena of foreign affairs, he has served as an adviser to the
International Comparative Law Association, the Executive Council of the
International Institute of Administrative Sciences, and the Development Center
of the OECD. In 1960 he was a member of Spain's delegation to the United
Nations, and was seated behind Khrushchev during the famous episode when the
latter pounded his shoe on the desk. He is believed to be favorably inclined
toward the US, and was a Leader Grantee here in 1959.
Personal Characteristics and Views
A slender, gray-haired man, Lopez Rodo is a bachelor who rarely attends
social functions. Because of his soft-spoken manner, jokes have been made
to the effect that he is not just Franco's eminence grise, but also just a
"gray" personality. This is misleading. Persons who know him well describe
him variously as confident, brilliant, tireless, and possessing a keen
political instinct. It is clear that, in his various official positions
CONFIDENTIAL/NO FOREIGN DISSEM
[NLN 03-17/16: P. 30f4]
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"ocrText": "CONFIDENTIAL/NO FOREIGN DISSEM\nBackground and Education\nLaureano Lopez Rodo was born in 1920 in Barcelona, where his father was\nan industrialist. In his teens, he took part in the Spanish Civil War as an\nunderground agent for the Nationalist cause in his native city, a Republican\nstronghold. He received his doctorate in law in 1943 from the University of\nBarcelona, and, two years later, at the age of 25, became Spain's youngest\nlaw professor, at the University of Santiago de Compostela.\nImpressive and Varied Government Experience\nFrom 1952 through 1956, Lopez Rodo was Director of the Juridical and\nAdministrative Division of the Superior Council of Scientific Research. His\nappointment in December 1956 to the key position of Technical Secretary\nGeneral within the Ministry of the Presidency provided him with a base from\nwhich to influence both Franco (the President, or Chief of Government) and\nCarrero Blanco, the \"Sub-secretary\" of this Ministry. Lopez Rodo's career\ntook a major step forward in 1957 when, as a result of an important\nadministrative reform, the technical secretaries general of all the ministries\nwere thenceforth appointed by and responsible to him. Lopez Ródo initiated\nother reforms in the following years and, in the process, he became\nincreasingly influential in the Spanish administrative framework. He was\nappointed to the Cortes (parliament) in 1958.\nIn the wake of the economic stabilization program initiated in 1959 to\nease the economic crisis then confronting Spain, Lopez Rodó devoted most of\nhis time to economic coordinating and planning. In 1962 he was named\nCommissioner of the Economic and Social Development Plan, with the rank of\nUndersecretary (still under Carrero Blanco). He was given full cabinet rank\nin 1965--\"Minister without Portfolio\"--but continued to be in charge of the\nDevelopment Plan. In addition to his major assignments in the Presidency\nhe has continued to advise the Superior Council of Scientific Research, to\nbelong to the National Council of the Movement (Falange), and to preside over\nthe Board of Trustees of the National School of Public Administration.\nIn the arena of foreign affairs, he has served as an adviser to the\nInternational Comparative Law Association, the Executive Council of the\nInternational Institute of Administrative Sciences, and the Development Center\nof the OECD. In 1960 he was a member of Spain's delegation to the United\nNations, and was seated behind Khrushchev during the famous episode when the\nlatter pounded his shoe on the desk. He is believed to be favorably inclined\ntoward the US, and was a Leader Grantee here in 1959.\nPersonal Characteristics and Views\nA slender, gray-haired man, Lopez Rodo is a bachelor who rarely attends\nsocial functions. Because of his soft-spoken manner, jokes have been made\nto the effect that he is not just Franco's eminence grise, but also just a\n\"gray\" personality. This is misleading. Persons who know him well describe\nhim variously as confident, brilliant, tireless, and possessing a keen\npolitical instinct. It is clear that, in his various official positions\nCONFIDENTIAL/NO FOREIGN DISSEM\n[NLN 03-17/16: P. 30f4]"
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